113 – A Secret Base on a Summer Day #1
“Hanamjin!”
I was just about to leave the container with Chang-sik when someone loudly called out my name.
Even though it might not seem like it, I’m currently in the middle of a secret mission, taking advantage of the disappearance situation.
It feels like I’m practically announcing to everyone that I’m alive.
“…Who are you?”
Being a public figure can be troublesome like this.
The person knows me, but I have no idea who they are.
While they may feel an inner sense of familiarity from news, newspapers, and Mitube videos, I certainly don’t, leading to these awkward situations quite often.
However?
I now know exactly what to do in situations like this.
I pulled out a piece of gum wrapper from my pocket, drew a fake Gucci logo on it, and handed it over to the fan.
“It’s my autograph. Take it.”
“Hell no! Man, did you hit your head in the ‘Great Labyrinth’ or something?”
Despite being a man, this person has such a prickly attitude, like a spoiled princess.
It’s a familiar feeling.
“Are you Prince Juhyun by any chance?”
I didn’t recognize him.
He was wearing a large eyepatch over one eye, which gave off a mysterious intimidating aura, completely changing his appearance.
If the previous Juhyun felt like the prince who kissed the girl in every “Snow White” play, this new version feels more like the hunter.
“I’m sorry about your eye. I should have protected you.”
We’re still young high school seniors.
Though I, as an adult, feel a deep sense of powerlessness for not being able to protect the younger Juhyun, a surge of tears wells up from deep within, like a gushing spring.
Juhyun stood up, his hair standing on end, and got genuinely angry.
“Why should I be protected by you? You think you’re so great, huh? Next time, I’ll win! Definitely!”
Win what?
I don’t recall having any sort of contest with this guy.
At that moment, Baonoi, who was fiddling with an old remote control from Chang-sik’s junk shop, growled like a lion with a thorn in its throat.
“Who is this prick? His tone is extremely disrespectful…!”
“Huh? Who are you?”
“I am the nymph of the gutter water, Baonoi! Of course, I’m not your average nymph but a particularly cool one…”
“What is that? Is she your cousin, Hanamjin?”
Baonoi locked eyes with Prince Juhyun.
Static crackled for a moment as their gazes crossed.
“This Baonoi gets itchy fists when seeing rude fellows─I shall beat them up thoroughly…!”
With her fists clenched, the nymph nymph of the gutter water lunged at Juhyun.
She proceeded to punch him enthusiastically with round, seemingly harmless fists.
“Nymph Punch, Smash!”
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang.
“Ah!”
But something strange happened.
Despite her tiny punches, which looked like they couldn’t even break a small twig, Juhyun let out a terrified scream.
“Ah! The nymph is ridiculously strong!”
“Quit exaggerating.”
“No, d*mn it! It really hurts! Ah! Stop hitting me!”
A nymph is a fairy.
Fairy types deal extra damage to types like Fiend or Dragon.
Judging by the additional damage, Juhyun seemed to be either a Fiend or a Dragon type. Maybe both.
“Heh, in the future, you better become a polite fellow…! Otherwise, you’ll get another taste of this “Nymph Punch, Smash”…!”
“Grrrr…”
“Hehehe, hehehehehe…”
While watching Juhyun, who seemed genuinely upset, Baonoi wore a satisfied grin.
At that moment, it occurred to me that perhaps Juhyun was just playing with little Baonoi as if she were a younger sibling.
Juhyun, you little guy, you’re more kind-hearted than I thought, aren’t you?
You may act prickly on the outside, but inside, you’re quite adorable.
Watching him play well with the nymph reminded me of a masked hero who became the idol of children in the post-apocalyptic world.
In a world where the common sense of taking care of children had collapsed, “Seongsolmo” was an ordinary person who cared for children properly.
Because he took care of children in a world where failing to do one’s share meant not surviving, he was more than worthy to be called a hero.
By the way, it’s “Seongsolmo”, not “Seongseolmo.”
What the typo-like name means is a secret even I don’t know.
There’s still much about this world I don’t understand, no matter how much future knowledge I possess.
And that’s what makes every day interesting!
“Juhyun, do you know what Seongsolmo is?”
Juhyun, who was checking if his bruises were serious or not, squinted his sole remaining eye at my question.
“Seongsolmo? Don’t you mean Seongseolmo?”
His lips jutted out. Given his tendency to antagonize me, I expected him to mock my spelling error, but for some reason, he didn’t.
Anyway, with that feeling, we were on our way to see Old Man Hugi, and Juhyun joined us.
To be honest, it was kind of annoying, but since Juhyun hissed “If you keep causing trouble, you’ll become more famous than me. I can’t let that happen,” there was nothing I could do.
“This place feels so familiar.”
Chang-sik’s observation upon seeing the flattened, stacked-up junk cars that resembled sandwich ingredients was spot-on.
Since this place, like Chang-sik’s house, resembled a scrapyard, it was natural to feel a sense of familiarity.
“Over here!”
I shouted loudly among the wrecked cars.
There’s nothing better for summoning people than a loud shout.
Out popped someone from the maze of junk cars, unable to contain themselves any longer.
“What the heck is this guy trying to imitate a gentleman?! Who the hell do you think you are, ordering people around?”
It was an old man with a well-built physique and sun-tanned skin. He looked like someone who’d rather spread sunscreen on bread than on his face. This was none other than Old Man Hugi.
I learned various survival techniques from this man.
He was, you might say, my survival mentor!
But that was from my previous life. In this life, it was our first meeting.
“You, haven’t I seen you somewhere?”
Yet for some reason, Old Man Hugi scratched his head as if he already knew me from this life.
Must be because I’m a public figure.
“I am, indeed, the ‘Brad Pitt’ Hanamjin.”
While it should be a secret that I’m actually alive, since the covert operation has already failed, it doesn’t really matter.
But Old Man Hugi continued to scratch his forehead as if hearing my name for the first time.
“Bread? What bread? Mr. Ha, where have I seen you? I feel I’ve seen this guy’s face recently. Hmm, drinking might jog my memory. Hey, do you have any alcohol?”
Are you asking high school students if they have alcohol?
“Jahyun, because of your value, I get lumped together and treated as an adult.”
“Don’t you dare call me by a random nickname and mess with my name!”
Actually, even in the days I knew Old Man Hugi, he was a rather capricious person.
Suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other such diseases, it seems this was how he’s been since this point in time.
An old man who couldn’t even remember his own name.
Yet? The desire to survive—a passion for survival—burns brightly within this man like the last embers of a fire.
I asked like someone turning on an old car’s engine.
“Sir, I’d like to take a look at the underground bunker you built.”
“…”
The old man, who had been in a hazy, half-drunken state, suddenly came back to life. It was like inserting the key into an aging car and hearing an unexpectedly powerful engine roar.
“Don’t pretend to be ignorant. I already know there’s a bunker down there as big as a playground. Let’s cut to the chase, man to man.”
“Are you calling yourself a man? Besides, I don’t get how you know about my bunker, but if you know that much about me, you should know what’s coming next.”
“Of course. No one will be able to stop it. The runaway era…”
I drew out a dagger from my waist.
If I had hesitated for even a moment, the sharp military kn*fe would have pierced my throat.
Click-clack.
In this rusted-out junkyard, this military kn*fe was the only thing thoroughly sharpened and oiled.
It had lunged at my throat with great force, but I managed to block it, preventing it from hitting its mark.
“That’s quite a friend!”
“Yikes…! That crazy old man is brandishing a kn*fe…!”
“This Inonoi has no idea what’s going on…! Actually, since coming outside, this Inonoi hasn’t been thinking about anything…”
“What? What’s happening here?”
While everyone else was shocked, the old man and I exchanged several volleys.
Swish, swish. Clang! Clang!
Our daggers either cut through the air or clashed blades, sparks flying with each strike.
After roughly ten exchanges, neither of us had drawn any bl**d.
“Kid, you’re an Awakened One. You have good stamina and fast legs, but your kn*fe skills are amateurish. Always aiming for obvious weak points makes your moves too predictable. Whoever you learned from, they were incompetent.”
The person who taught me always to target the vulnerable areas was none other than Old Man Hugi himself. Back then, since I limped, missing a strike would often have been life-threatening.
One-hit knockout!
That was the motto of my techniques.
With that, the stalemate in our exchange ended. Breathing heavily, Old Man Hugi seemed to acknowledge something.
“So, you’ve reached a level where you can be called a real man. I intended to keep the bunker a complete secret—absolutely secret!”
I understand. The location of a bunker or shelter is crucial information.
After the collapse, people roamed like gangs of bandits, pillaging and destroying. Old Man Hugi’s bunker was truly a treasure trove.
Knowing this, Old Man Hugi had intended to eliminate us if necessary since we’d discovered the bunker’s location.
But he failed.
So, it seems he’s decided to compromise.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you’re asking for something, it means you’ve brought something interesting to tempt me. A good bottle of alcohol would be nice.”
Inspector Gimjangdong, Old Man Hugi, adults all seem to love alcohol.
I’ve tried imitating drinking to be cool like them, but I’ve never once found it tasty.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t become an adult yet.
“We don’t have alcohol, but we do have something amazing. Let me introduce you to my friend Jang-sik. He’s more valuable than 100 bottles of whiskey, so have high expectations!”
“This pale-looking weirdo is worth more than a hundred bottles of whiskey? He looks like a high school girl kidnapper!”
“Ugh…”
Chang-sik, looking flustered, looked back and forth between me and Old Man Hugi as if he had no idea what was going on.
I smacked him on the shoulder.
“This Jang-sik can turn pebbles into candy. He can even make chocolate from bottle caps! Isn’t that amazing?”
“What?! Such an unbelievable power exists!”
Old Man Hugi showed great interest, exactly as I had anticipated!
“Show me! Show me now! Come on! Wow! The pebble turned into candy! It’s grape flavored! Can you make other flavors? How about energy bars instead of candy!”
Old Man Hugi was puffing with excitement and looked genuinely delighted, like a child who had met Santa Claus.
Soon, Old Man Hugi turned his gaze to Prince Juhyun.
“And what about this guy! He’s got to be something special too, right?”
“He’s more like the bonus item.”
“What? Am I the bonus?”
“You insult him if you call him that!”
Old Man Hugi, looking Juhyun’s shoulders and arms, exclaimed:
“Goodness, you may not have much, but you look like a proper man on the outside. Haven’t seen where you sold that eye, but you’ve got some guts. You’ve got some spirit that surpasses those pale weaklings.”
What the hell?
Old Man Hugi recognized Prince Juhyun as a man from the first time they met?
I had to work for two years to be recognized as a man!
“Dammit! This rich guy, even talent is on his side!”
The feeling was excruciating.
“Raaaarrrggghhh!”
I’ve been deeply wounded in my soul.
“Name: Prince Juhyun”
“Ability: 《Replication Lv.4》 – Can perfectly project a target onto oneself, like a clear lake reflecting its surroundings.”
“Condition: 《Overconfidence》 – Doesn’t exactly know what happened but feels like he’s won, boosting his mood.”
“Finally, they’re recognizing how amazing I am. No matter what, I’ve won this one.”
“You little… Stop being so cocky!”
Clang!
Prince Juhyun took a blow to the head from Old Man Hugi.
“Ack!”
“Looking tough on the surface won’t cut it! The world’s going to collapse, and you’ll need more than that to survive! A real man needs to hone himself! One must be able to protect themselves! I’ll train you!”
“Master, does that mean I have to learn too?”
“Exactly! No matter how extraordinary abilities you have, if you can’t protect yourself, you’ll end up as someone’s slave! Slaves obey, but humans make choices!”
It seemed that both Prince Juhyun and Choi Chang-sik had gained Old Man Hugi’s approval.
There was never a time when he’d give me anything for free.
At that moment, Baonoi clenched her fist and shouted.
“So when do we get to see this bunker you’ve mentioned? This Baonoi is curious about the battle rations said to be stored inside..!”
“This Inonoi hasn’t been properly informed!”
The nymphs were right.
I, in fact, came to see the shelter today.
Soon, Old Man Hugi grinned and led us to the center of the scrapyard.
The bunker was underground.
To be honest, since it was my first time going inside, my heart was pounding, but from the moment I took my first step into the underground, I couldn’t help but be surprised in many ways.
“This place has a similar structure to the ‘Great Labyrinth,’ doesn’t it?”
“Recognize it, do you? The ‘Great Labyrinth’ was essentially the fairies’ bunker. Built to protect from external dangers and also to keep their own inside threats from getting out.”
Internal and external dangers.
While I was deep in thought, Prince Juhyun, who had been looking rather smug, asked:
“Grandpa, why did you build such a bunker? Was it because you thought there might be war with North Korea?”
“It’d be fortunate if it were just that. This world will collapse soon enough, you see. You’ve seen it, right? The world of fairies after it collapsed. This world will go the same way. Something I heard directly from Kore…”
Kore.
As Old Man Hugi muttered this, his eyes briefly sharpened.
And then he looked at me as if he had something very important to say, yet his lips moved awkwardly, not the bravado I expected from a true man.
“Spit it out clearly if you have something to say.”
“Nah, nevermind. There must be some reason… I guess I’m getting older.”
Old Man Hugi was as unpredictable as ever.
What was important was that I now had some clues about the ‘collapse’ from Old Man Hugi.
And I would get to learn about bunker construction from him.
